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The Affluenza virus was alive and multiplying in England in the 1700s. The colonies in the New World were needed to keep the English aristocracy living in the lap of luxury. They thought of more and more taxes and other ways to get money from the colonists, until finally our forebears had had enough. The famous "Boston Tea Party" is just one example of colonists rebelling against supporting the rich back in England. Less known is the fact that a simple living movement was started by the leaders of the American Revolution to reduce our dependence on trade with the mother country. Frugality was the watchword, and you were not a patriot unless you were consuming and wasting less. Leaders of this frugality movement included Abigail Adams and her husband John Adams (later president), their cousin Samuel Adams (more than just a beer-maker!) and Paul Revere.
Now, in the Age of Affluenza, some would say it is fitting that George Washington, the father of our country, was what would today be called a "shopaholic." He loved to search for the perfect furnishings for his beloved home, Mount Vernon, and always made time to shop for fabrics and clothing on his journeys. But when the time came when frugality meant freedom, General Washington rose to the challenge and embraced simple living. Also a fitting symbol for Americans today...
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